Wilson Finishes Perfect Season at 12-0

Wilson's girls volleyball team has come through with a perfect record, winning both the Interhigh regular season and tournament championships.

The Tigers compiled a 12-0 record (9-0 regular season, 3-0 in the tournament). They last went undefeated in 1979.

Wilson won the two-day, single-elimination tournament at the University of the District of Columbia. The top eight teams were entered.

The Tigers saved their best for the final in defeating Eastern, 15-8, 15-13. The key to the victory was the spiking of Wilson captain Tina Churchill.

Churchill scored on two straight spikes to give Wilson a 7-0 lead in the first game. The Tigers increased the lead to 13-3 before putting it away. In the second game, Eastern took an 11-6 lead before Wilson scored five straight points for a tie as Churchill scored two points off her serve.

Eastern regained the lead, 13-11, only to see Wilson score four straight points to win the match.

"If you get the sets, you spike," said Churchill, named to the coaches' all-Interhigh team with the most first-place votes. She also was acclaimed most valuable player for the third straight year.

Two teams were upset in the tournament. Sixth-seeded Coolidge beat third-seeded H.D. Wooodson, 10-15, 15-13, 15-11, in the first round and Eastern, No. 4, defeated Dunbar, No. 2, in the semifinals, 15-11, 15-11. Eastern defeated Anacostia, 15-9, 15-7, in the first round.

Coolidge played well in the tournament. In the first round, the Colts dropped a game to Woodson, 15-10, then won two straight. In the semifinals, Coolidge put itself in position to defeat Wilson.

The Colts were leading, 12-10, in the first game, but Wilson scored three straight points. The teams traded points until the Colts took a 16-15 lead and needed only a point for victory. Wilson scored the next three points to win, 18-16.

"We didn't set the ball up properly," said Wilson Coach Yolanda Alexander.

In the second game, Coolidge came back from a 4-1 deficit to 4-4. The points seesawed until Coolidge took a 13-12 lead and again needed two points for victory. Wilson scored three straight for the 15-13 decision.

"Up until last year, I had to teach volleyball instead of coaching it. This year, I didn't have to teach fundamentals except to one or two people," said Coolidge Coach Sandra Griffin about the Colts' improvement.